Internal combustion engine including plasma generating device

• Main Authors: ISHIKAWA TOMOMI, OKABE HITOSHI, TSUTSUMIZAKI TAKASHI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 25.12.2012
• Subjects: BLASTING; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TOTRANSPORTATION; COMBUSTION ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HEATING; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS; IGNITION, OTHER THAN COMPRESSION IGNITION, FORINTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES; INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL, WITH COMBUSTIBLEMIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; TESTING OF IGNITION TIMING IN COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES; WEAPONS

A plasma generating device for an internal combustion engine sets the generating-atmosphere pressure for generating plasma to the intake pressure, thereby achieving a reduction in the size, weight, and energy consumption of the plasma generating device and an improvement in combustibility. An internal combustion engine includes a throttle valve arranged in an intake passage having an intake opening that opens to a combustion chamber. An intake valve opens and closes the intake opening. A plasma generating device includes a plasma generator having a generating chamber for converting intake air into a plasma state to generate plasma. The plasma generating device supplies plasma to a downstream passage of the intake passage between the throttle valve and the intake valve. A gas control valve operates in conjunction with the throttle valve, and is arranged in an introduction passage between a clean chamber of the air cleaner chamber and a generating chamber.